by Chris Pocock
Singapore is “in the advanced stages of evaluating the F-35,” according to its air force chief. The U.S. has been asking other partner countries on the Lightning II to commit to a block buy. But that prospect has now receded for a couple of years, after the latest report on the stealth fighter by the Pentagon’s own weapons tester, released on February 1.
The Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) listed a range of deficiencies in the Block 2B software that was loaded on the U.S. Marine Corps F-35Bs when they declared initial operational capability (IOC) last July. He also described problems with the Block 3i version with which the U.S. Air Force wants to declare IOC on the F-35A next August. And the development and test schedule for the ultimate Block 3F software was judged “unrealistic.”
In the U.S. system, the services can declare IOC before the DOT&E conducts a formal IOT&E (Initial Operational Test and Evaluation). The IOT&E for the F-35 is supposed to start in August 2017, upon completion of the jet’s System Development and Demonstration (SDD) phase. But in his latest report, the DOT&E warned the U.S. and its F-35 partners against committing to a block buy before the IOT&E is done.
“Significant discoveries requiring correction…[and] will continue to occur throughout the remaining developmental and operational testing,” he noted. All the aircraft delivered to date need modifying before they are combat-ready, he added. Lockheed Martin and the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) began calling for a block buy last year in order to drive down unit costs to the $80 million goal for the F-35A version.
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